The use of digital certificates using public and private key encryption methods is widely known in the field of computing, particularly networked computing. Digital certificates generally follow the X.509 standard, developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO). These certificates create a binding between an entity's public key and its identity. Obtaining authentic copies of public key certificates is critical in deploying secure public key systems. Often a digital certificate is stored in a publicly accessible repository such as an LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol) or X.500 directory.
Typically, when a digital certificate is requested by a user and issued from a certificate authority or certifying authority (CA), the CA would normally distribute the digital certificate to a directory service provider to publish the digital certificate in a directory. However, under certain circumstances, a digital certificate may be obtained from a trusted party that would not normally distribute to the directory server provider. There has been a lack of mechanism to allow a user to publish a digital certificate in a directory.